NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
FARM BILL DETERS E15
Opponents of E15, such as motorcyclists whose vehicles are
not approved to use fuel containing higher levels of
ethanol, won a major victory on February 7, 2014 when
President Barack Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014,
with a provision removing subsidies for biofuel blending
pumps.
The provision, tucked into page 735 of the 949-page farm
bill, could make it more difficult for gasoline blended with
higher concentrations of ethanol to find its way to rural
areas, where demand for the fuel is greatest.
Blender pumps mix gasoline and ethanol for sale at gas
stations, so restricting the grant money to purchase the
pumps necessary to dispense E15 would greatly deter its
distribution. That, in turn, could make it more difficult
for the United States to implement a program known as the
Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, which mandates increasing
amounts of biofuels like corn-based ethanol be blended into
the nation's fuel supply.
The Obama administration previously set a goal of installing
10,000 blender pumps to promote consumption of
higher-ethanol gasoline, but currently only 59 stations
across 12 states sell E15, compared with 125,000 U.S.
gasoline stations.
The win for motorcycle and ATV owners, who risk damaging
their machines and invalidating warranties by even
inadvertently putting E15 in their tanks, follows a November
move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce
for the first time the amount of ethanol required to be
blended into U.S. gasoline supplies. Ironically, the EPA
proposed the cuts in part due to concerns over the lack of
infrastructure, such as blender pumps needed to sell
gasoline with greater concentrations of ethanol.
MOTORCYCLE SALES INCREASE
The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) has reported that
annual motorcycle sales grew 1.4% in 2013. The 465,783 unit
total represents a 6,485 increase from 2012.
The dual-purpose and off-road segments enjoyed the greatest
percentage annual growth, with scooter sales declining in
2013.
On-Highway motorcycles sales tallied 324,691 for the year, a
2% increase from 2012. The On-Highway segment is by far the
largest tracked by the MIC, and it includes all street-legal
bikes excepting dual-sports and scooters. It recorded a
6,485 unit year-over-year (YOY) increase.
The smallest volume segment, Dual, reported the largest YOY
percentage increase at 7.8%. The Dual category includes
small street-legal dual-sports as well as popular Adventure
bikes. The yearly total for this market was 32,979 for a
2,387 unit increase in 2013.
Off-Highway motorcycle sales grew 5.7% for the year. The
annual total of 73,371 represents a 3,976 unit boost from
last year. The near 4000-unit gain comes despite a slow
finish in 2013, recording a YOY decrease of 1,025 units in
December.
Scooter sales, which are traditionally more volatile than
bike sales, struggled to match 2012 totals. The annual tally
of 34,742 was 6,363 units short of the 2012 total – a 15.5%
decline.
ATV sales for 2013 posted a nearly identical tally of
228,305 – a mere 0.5% increase over 2012. The quad market
benefited from a strong December to push the annual tally
into the black, with a 1,799 unit increase YOY for the
month. Notably, the MIC does not track sales for UTV and
side-by-side units, which have reportedly eclipsed ATV sales
in recent years.
STATES RANKED BY MOTORCYCLE OWNERSHIP
With 8,410,255 motorcycles registered to 311,800,000 U.S.
citizens, according to the most recent DOT and Census data
that means that out of every 37 Americans you meet, one of
them probably owns a motorcycle. But in some states your
odds are better than others, and when you compare statewide
motorcycle registrations with population figures, you might
be surprised where some states stand in the rankings.
For example, Iowa comes in third with 18 people for every
motorcycle, more than double the national average. In 2011
the state had 173,929 motorcycles registered, and a
population of just over three million.
The second highest ratio of bike ownership is in New
Hampshire, whose 1.3 million population shares 79,266
motorcycles, equaling 17 people per motorcycle.
First on the list is South Dakota with 12 people for each
motorcycle, over three times the national average. In 2011
the state had 69,284 motorcycles registered, representing
just 0.82% of all motorcycles in America, but its sparse
population of 816,598 gives it the highest concentration of
motorcycling in the country.
Rounding out the Top Ten are; Wisconsin (4th with 18 people
per bike); Wyoming (5th/19); North Dakota (6th/21); Vermont
(7th/21); Montana (8th/21); Minnesota (9th/22) and Alaska
(10th/23).
The Ten Lowest ranked states are; South Carolina (40th/43
people per bike); Kentucky (41st/44); Hawaii (42nd/45);
California (43rd/47); Utah (44th/47); Maryland (45th/48);
Georgia (46th/49); New York (47th/56); Texas (48th/58);
Louisiana (49th/67, almost half the U.S. average); and
lastly Mississippi (50th/106, nearly a third the norm).
It’s interesting to note that due to large populations, some
of the states with the largest numbers of motorcycles
finished low on the rider density list; California is number
one in motorcycles owned with 801,803, representing 9.5% of
all motorcycles in the U.S., but with a population of over
37 million it comes in a lackluster 43rd place! Likewise,
New York with 345,816 motorcycles, and Texas with 438,551,
came in near the bottom of the rankings.
It
is also worth noting that only one of the Top Ten
motorcycling states has a helmet law, while 6 of the 10
least bike-friendly states requires riders to wear them.
MISSOURI PUSHES TO CHANGE BAN ON SUNDAY MOTORCYCLE SALES
Like many states, it is against the law in Missouri for
dealers to sell cars, trucks or motorcycles on Sunday. Due
to archaic "Blue Laws" influenced by religion during the
Colonial Period, sales are prohibited on the Sabbath, but
there is a trend brewing and some states are removing this
outdated ban.
The latest state to allow Sunday motorcycle sales was
Indiana last July, when Hoosiers joined Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, New York and Maryland in removing their Sunday sales
ban.
Now Missouri's Blue Law is being challenged, and lawmakers
are proposing three bills that would allow for motorcycles
to be sold in Platte and Jackson Counties on Sundays. The
reason is because some Kansas City metro dealers feel it is
not fair that they can't sell on Sundays when just across
the border in the neighboring state of Kansas, dealers can.
Other states that currently prohibit the Sunday sales of
motorcycles and automobiles are Colorado, Illinois, Iowa,
Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Dakota and
Wisconsin. In Missouri, dealers are not even allowed to
discuss a sale on Sunday, or face a $300 fine and possible
jail time.
NY
LAWMAKER SAYS BIKES SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED IN HIS DISTRICT
Legislator Thomas F. Barraga (R-11th District) says people
should not ride bikes at all in his district because
“Suffolk County is a suburban automobile community --
drivers expect to see other drivers on the road, not
bicyclists and motorcyclists.”
The anti-motorcycle/bicycle lawmaker from West Islip, New
York made those remarks in response to a high school senior
who wrote to him as a part of a government class assignment.
On
January 29, the 17-year old, Matthew Cutrone, wrote to
Barraga requesting “some sort of bike lane or maybe even
warning signs in certain areas of the county” after his
mother was hit by the driver of a van that illegally turned
left in front of her.
Stating that he believes that "no one who lives in our
hamlet or for that matter Suffolk County should ever ride a
bicycle or motorcycle,"
Barraga’s callous response lit up social media and prompted
a ton of angry responses, though the legislator said he’s
standing by his remarks.
WASHINGTON STATE RIDERS LOBBY TO TURN LEFT ON RED
Motorcyclists in Washington could turn left at an
intersection if the traffic light doesn't give them the
green arrow after a complete cycle under a bill that
received strong support from the Senate in Olympia.
SB
5141 would change state traffic laws to account for a
problem some motorcyclists have at intersections controlled
by sensors that fail to recognize them. They don't register
on the sensor, and the left-turn arrow never turns green,
said Senator Jim Hargrove, a Hoquiam Democrat who rides a
motorcycle and said he's experienced the problem first-hand.
Under the proposed legislation, a motorcyclist would have to
wait through a complete cycle of lights changing for all
directions before making a left-turn when clear. The bill
passed on a 46-2 vote. The same bill passed the Senate last
session but didn't receive a final vote in the House.
MICHIGAN
MOTORCYCLE SAFETY BILL WOULD PREVENT REPEAT OFFENDERS
Michigan
lawmakers are looking to close an "apparent loophole" that
allows motorcycle operators to obtain a temporary permit
each riding season without ever completing a safety course
or skills test required for full endorsement.
Temporary
Instruction Permits, intended for new or returning riders,
are valid for 180 days and require operators to travel
alongside an endorsed adult. But enforcement is difficult,
and TIP holders are significantly over-represented in
traffic accidents each year; 52% of riders who crashed were
not properly endorsed.
Current law
allows operators to obtain a temporary permit every season.
But House Bill 4781, introduced by state Rep. Bradford
Jacobsen (R-Oxford) and 15 co-sponsors, would limit
motorcycle operators to two TIPs over the course of a 10
year period. "That's certainly adequate time to ride with a
friend, take an instruction course and get the experience
necessary to drive a motorcycle," Jacobsen said in testimony
before the House Transportation Committee, which has not
voted on the bill.
"It's a no
brainer really," said Vince Consiglio, president of ABATE
Michigan, which led efforts to repeal the mandatory helmet
law but also supports stronger endorsement requirements.
"These unendorsed riders are maybe 10 or 20 percent of the
population, but they're over 40 percent of the fatalities
since 1989. It's incredible that nothing has happened."
Officials have
known about the endorsement issue for years, and the
Secretary of State and Office of Highway Safety Planning
have both pushed educational programs to raise awareness.
But education alone is not working, prompting motorcycle
safety advocates to push for legislative action.
ABATE OF INDIANA SEEKS TO ALLOW OFF-ROAD VEHICLES ON COUNTY
ROADWAYS
Indiana state law bans driving off-road vehicles on public
streets, but ABATE of Indiana, a motorcycle advocacy group,
is asking Tippecanoe County commissioners to exercise a
clause that allows county officials to allow all-terrain
vehicles, gators and various other off-road machines,
including snowmobiles, to use county roads in unincorporated
areas.
“We’re just requesting that they at least evaluate this,
look at what other communities have done with this -- what
other counties have done with this” said Jay Jackson,
executive director of American Bikers Aimed Toward
Education. “We’re not aware of any significant ramifications
as a result, so we don’t see a downside to it.”
Jackson told commissioners that 45 Indiana counties allow
off-road vehicles on public roads. The vehicles still must
comply with state laws governing off-road vehicles. State
law requires the rider or driver be 16 years old and
licensed, and also requires that the vehicle be registered,
much like a boat.
WEIRD NEWS: APB
FOR MR. HARLEY DAVIDSON
Police in Guapa,
Brazil, investigating a string of carjackings believed they
found a key piece of evidence that could blow the case wide
open: a Harley-Davidson cap belonging to a suspect: “He left
a grey T-shirt which he had used to cover his face, and also
a baseball cap with a skull embroidered on it, along with
the name Harley, and the citizen’s surname, Davidson, who is
probably the miscreant we’re looking for,” a police officer
told a local news station.
QUOTABLE QUOTE:
“True
patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than
anywhere else.”
~ Clarence
Darrow (1857-1938) American trial lawyer
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Saturday, February 22, 2014
USA - FARM BILL DETERS E15
OFF THE WIRE